Define: Coincidence
by Gibbsgirl
Summary: What would you do if you saw someone's exact double? What if they were supposed to be dead?
1. Thinking

Author's note: Just something I got in my head. I didn't start out to have it go the way it did. Sometimes these things just take on a life of their own. Time frame - somewhere late season 12, I think. I may have gotten a little of the timing with McGee a bit mixed up - but it's close.

—

Tony stopped to sprinkle food on the water in the fishbowl before grabbing his bag and heading off to work. On most days he made the drive on autopilot but today his mind was definitely not on the road. He'd had a fun evening with Zoe last night, but for some reason being with her always made him think of the past – people and things that were gone. Long gone. The image of his goldfish, Kate and Ziva, was proof that he could not let go of the two women who'd had the biggest impact in his life. They were gone – long gone – and never coming back. 'Never say never,' he thought, although somewhere in his heart he knew he would never see Ziva again. Kate… well, sometimes it just hurt too much to think about Kate. It took a long time for him to open up to Ziva, too long maybe. But it was the memory of Kate and the horror of her death that held him back. And now they were both gone, their goldfish namesakes all that he had left of either of them.

He swung the car into the NCIS lot and parked in his usual space. Zoe was fun. Zoe was a lot like him, or, well, like he used to be. He liked her, maybe even loved her, a little. Or maybe it was just that with her dark hair and sass she reminded him just a little bit of Kate. 'Damn you, Kate, for going and leaving me like that.' Though there was no real anger with the familiar thought, after all it wasn't as if she'd chosen to be shot. But there was still this tiny corner of grief that made him angry they'd never had the chance to explore what was starting to happen between them. 'Just one day,' he thought, not for the first time, as he exited the elevator and walked to his desk. 'I wish I could have just one more day.'

"Everything all right, Tony?" Bishop was becoming way too observant when it came to his moods. He smiled his usual high-wattage smile and reassured her he was fine.

"Of course everything is all right. We're here, we closed the case _and_ got the paperwork in before 10 pm last night. I actually got to see my girlfriend rather than falling asleep on her shoulder. What could possibly be wrong?"

"Tony!" Abby had walked up to McGee's desk in time to hear his reply to Bishop. "_Never_ ever ask what could go wrong. You're just inviting trouble!"

Tony turned to look at Abby and McGee. "I didn't say _go_ wrong, I said _be_… whatever." He waved it off as unimportant. "So what's up, you two?"

"Nothing," McGee replied. "It's been very quiet this morning. Too quiet. Almost like…."

"McGee!" Abby cut him off the same way she scolded Tony. "Honestly, you two!"

"What?" both men asked, overlapping each other.

"Stop inviting trouble!"

"Abby," Ellie said slowly, "you do know that's just an old wives' tale, right?"

Abby turned to Bishop. "Not around here it isn't. Just wait… you'll see." She laid the folder in her hands down on McGee's desk. "I'm going back to the lab. At least I can lock the doors if I need to!" She wandered away with the three agents looking after her.

"Was she serious?" Bishop asked at the same time Tony leaned toward McGee. "What's in the folder, Tim?"

"Nothing," McGee said to Tony, "and yes," he replied to Bishop. "We've had our share of… strange cases. As well as the really bad ones. Abby's right, it doesn't pay to invite trouble. Enough of it finds us as it is."

"C'mon, McGee, it can't be a folder of nothing." Tony chose to ignore the rest. He was feeling vaguely unsettled after his drive in and poking at McGee was the perfect distraction.

"Tony, it's nothing. It's not even work related." McGee went to shove the folder in his desk but Tony was faster, with a step and a reach, plucking it from Tim's hands.

"Knitting patterns?" He stared at McGee in disbelief while Ellie came to peer over Tony's shoulder.

"Why are you knitting dog sweaters, Tim?" She watched as Tony leafed through the handful of pages.

McGee sighed and snagged the folder back from Tony. "_I'm_ not. My neighbor, Mrs. Francis, you know the sweet little old lady next door?"

"Fabulous brownies, right. I remember." Tony nodded.

"Well she fell and broke her hip and now she's going stir crazy. Her niece has been such a help to her she wanted to do something nice for her in return."

"So she's knitting her dog a sweater. What kind of dog?" Ellie leaned back against the edge of Tony's desk.

"Not sure. Something frail, I guess. She – the niece – volunteers at an animal shelter occasionally and she sometimes fosters dogs for them. She told her aunt that she's bringing home a new pup next week but she was worried. The dog has been found, wandering, clearly someone's pet and because the spring had been so cold the poor thing wasn't doing well. At least that's sort of the story. I think."

Tony shook his head at the thought of a sweater for a dog. "You know, you can buy those, right McGeek? Besides, dogs already have sweaters; they call it fur." He sat down at his desk and McGee sunk back into his chair as well.

"It isn't about buying one, Tony. It's about Mrs. Francis having something to do while she's confined to quarters. She offered to knit me a sweater, but I told her I thought the dog was a more deserving recipient." He shrugged and turned to his computer after stashing the folder in his desk.

"So how did you get involved in this, anyway?" Ellie went back over to her desk and looked around. She thought it odd they had yet to see Gibbs, but she wouldn't complain about the lack of a case. Yet.

"Well, she clearly can't go out and I've been trying to do some of the heavier chores for her so her niece doesn't have to worry about it. And Mrs. Francis isn't the most tech savvy person there is, not surprisingly. Since she didn't know what else to do, she asked me if I could get some for her." He shrugged. "I did the only logical thing. I asked Abby."

"Asked Abby what?" Gibbs came around the corner, coffee cup in hand and stopped at his desk.

"McGee was just trying to explain why he was getting knitting patterns from Abby, Boss." Tony looked from one to the other as Gibbs nodded.

"Mrs. Francis, right? I take it Abby was able to help with the dog sweater?" Gibbs sat down and reached for his desk phone, watching as McGee nodded.

Ellie stared in disbelief. "How could you possibly have known that? Any of that?"

"Gibbs knows everything, Bishop. Get used to it. Tony pulled open a desk drawer and tried to look busy.

"And Abby is a woman of many talents," McGee added. "I've learned not to ask how she knows what she knows, I'm just grateful she does." He went back to typing, seemingly intent on his screen.

"Never could understand why you'd put a sweater on a dog," Gibbs muttered as he hung up the phone and turned to his computer.

"So… this niece… does she have a name? Is she pretty, McGee?" Bishop knew McGee's relationship had become a long-distance one, so she was curious about this other woman creeping into Tim's life.

"Wouldn't know. Never met her. I think her name begins with a K. Or maybe it's a C." McGee never lifted his eyes from the screen.

"No pictures? Everyone has pictures of family around," Ellie persisted.

McGee sighed. "Mrs. Francis doesn't. Apparently there was some tragedy or some such and she just doesn't keep pictures out. I commented on it. Hurts too much, she says." Ellie took a breath and before she could say anything else McGee cut her off, "And no, Ellie, I don't know Mrs. Francis' first name, either. Or anything more about her life. She's a sweet old lady, I help her when she needs and I leave it at that."

Tony looked over at McGee, thoughtfully. He knew there'd been the occasional passing comment about his neighbor, but that was it. Well, and that she made fantastic brownies that Tim brought to work to share a couple of times. Maybe he should do a little digging, just to make sure there was nothing funny going on. After all, this unseen niece could be a whole lot of trouble. He ignored the brief echo of Abby admonishing them about trouble. He wasn't inviting anything, he was just being careful.


	2. Seeing

Tim stepped out of his car and looked over at his neighbor's house. No car in the driveway, that must mean Jack, her home care assistant, had left for the day. He glanced at his watch and frowned. He knew her niece ordinarily didn't arrive until evening, which meant there were still a good three hours left before she'd be here. McGee was uncomfortable with the idea of Mrs. Francis being alone that long because of her injury and headed straight over to check on her.

He stepped up to her door, hoping that he'd find it locked after the numerous lectures he given her on safety. She'd always wave it off and sure enough he turned the knob to the unlocked door. He opened the door just barely wide enough to stick his head in and call out to the woman.

"Mrs. Francis! Mrs. Francis, it's Tim from next door. Everything okay in there?" He didn't really register the sound of the car somewhere behind him, he was focused on his neighbor's safety. "Mrs. Francis? Can you hear… oof!" His words were cut off as he was slammed against the doorframe by a brunette tornado.

"Aunt Peg! Aunt Peg, are you okay?" She turned to glare at Tim. "And just who the hell are _you_?"

Tim stared at a ghost and his mouth went dry. "Well?" she shoved him a little, although her words and actions had a little less anger as her aunt called out to both of them, "I'm fine. Mostly," Mrs. Francis' voice floated to them through the doorway.

"Aunt Peg! I found this guy on your stoop, breaking in," the woman who was clearly Mrs. Francis' niece spoke loudly so her aunt would hear but never took her eyes off Tim. "You really need to lock your doors," she continued, looking up to see the injured woman was making her way toward them awkwardly in a wheelchair. "Oh, Aunt Peg, I though Jack was supposed to help you back in bed before he left." She turned toward her aunt, one hand still gripping McGee's lapel.

"Kelly, let the man go, for heaven's sake. That's my neighbor Tim and he's harmless. Now come inside, both of you." Peg backed up from the door, still moving with difficulty.

"Let me help," Kelly let go of Tim and stepped inside to her aunt. Tim stood, frozen in the doorway. "Are you coming? Not that I trust you, but, " she glanced at her aunt, "I trust her." When Tim still didn't move she frowned at him. "What is your deal, anyway?"

Tim opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was one whispered word. "Kate?"

Kelly, Kate, whoever she was, had turned back to her aunt. Now she looked over her shoulder like one would at a slow and irritating child. "Kelly. My name is Kelly." She looked back down at her aunt. "No way this is the guy you said was a Fed. Are you sure you trust him?"

Tim shook his head and swallowed. "Forgive me, you caught me off guard. Timothy McGee and yes, I'm a federal agent. I work for NCIS." He reached for his badge out of reflex.

She waved him off, "Washington, home of the TLA. Or in this case four letter acronym. I don't care which set of Scrabble tiles you call home. So what's your problem? You look like you've seen a ghost." She positioned her aunt's wheelchair so they could sit and be comfortable. 'Well, mostly comfortable,' Tim thought as he looked at the old and uncomfortable wing-back chair he stood beside.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry about that, it's just that you bear an absolutely uncanny resemblance to an old colleague." Tim noted the way she stood protectively next to her aunt, a perfect imitation of Kate's posture. "Kelly. Nice to have a name to go with the stories." He nodded his head in the direction of the elderly woman who smiled and patted Kelly's hand. She smiled down at her aunt and was the very image of Kate in every way. McGee didn't know what to think.

"Sit you two! Honestly, you'd think you were wolves ready to attack." Mrs. Francis, Peg, tugged at Kelly's arm and nodded to the sofa next to her. "And, come, Tim, sit over here. That chair is miserably uncomfortable." She thankfully pointed to a club chair that sat out of Kelly's direct line of sight and did indeed look more comfortable. He sat, cautiously, after Kelly had settled.

"Really, Mrs. Francis, I only wanted to check on you since I thought you might be alone for a while today. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Of course you didn't. Jack had to leave early today and we'd called Kelly to make sure she could come over before he left. But you are a dear for being concerned." She looked as if she would have patted him on the cheek if she were near enough to reach.

McGee stood, probably quicker than was actually polite. This was all too bizarre - he had to get out. Now. "I'll just be going then Mrs. Francis, Ka…Kelly." He nodded to each of them and backed toward the door rather than turn around. "I'll, uh, check on you before I go to work tomorrow." He bumped into the doorknob and as he turned to go all he could do was pray _she'd_ be gone by morning.

Somehow he made it back to his apartment in the building next door and inside, his mind spinning. 'This is impossible,' he thought, sitting at his desk. "I'd bet everything I own that that was Kate," he told the empty room. He glanced at his computer. Peg. Kelly called her Aunt Peg. All right, Margaret Francis, then. Time to find out what the hell was going on. He set to digging as if everything in the world depended on this search.


	3. Disbelief

Tony walked into work the following day. "Probie, McGee," he said by way of greeting as he dropped his bag by his desk and sat down. He was surprised by the guilty start McGee gave at hearing his name.

"So… what'cha up to McSnoop? Oh, don't give me that," Tony said in response to the look McGee shot him. "I always know when you're snooping into something you shouldn't be? Now, who is she?" He slid over toward McGee's desk but he'd already hidden his search results.

"She is nobody, Tony." Something in the tone of his voice must have triggered Tony's bullshit detector. Raised eyebrows were directed his way by both of the other agents and he shook his head, hoping to deflect the grilling. "She's just some… girl… something to do with my neighbor, but I don't trust her."

"Your neighbor. Dog-sweater-knitting Mrs. Francis? What, did you meet her niece?"

"Or maybe it was her niece's evil twin." Ellie's question was innocent rather than accusing and Tony didn't miss a beat with the rejoinder although both agents were more interested in their respective desks than McGee's answer.

Still, McGee nearly choked on the sip of coffee he'd taken. The question had been offhand and he needed the answer to sound just as nonchalant. He hoped his hand wasn't shaking as set the cup back down. "No, nothing like that," he said carelessly while thinking, 'yeah, actually exactly like that'. "Just something came up about one of her caregivers and I was bothered by it. It's probably nothing." Perhaps the added explanation wasn't necessary, but the way he waved away his own concern certainly helped the lie.

"So… what? She got a coke habit or something?" Tony was still poking around on his desk, shifting stacks of files and really didn't seem to care if there was an answer. Still, McGee knew better. Tony was sharp even when you thought he wasn't and it made Tim nervous.

"Nah, nothing like that. She was just sort of… you know, shifty." McGee winced internally, the answer sounding lame and almost desperate to his own ears.

"Shifty, huh? What the heck does that mean, anyway? Shifty." Tony turned to face McGee. "Maybe you just made her nervous, McGee. Now I know we're all bored but stop screwing around with conspiracy theories that don't exist and find something that looks like real work to do before Gibbs gets here." He turned back to his desk and opened a folder he'd unearthed.

Gibbs! Tim hadn't even thought about Gibbs reaction to the doppelgänger. He'd been worried about Tony. And Abby. Well, and Ducky some. But Gibbs – he had no idea how Gibbs would react. And maybe Gibbs was the bigger concern – here was the spitting image of a dead agent bearing the name of his deceased daughter. 'What a mess!' he thought as he began working on more legitimate-looking searches. He tried to make it look like "real" work while his thoughts whirled around. And suddenly he landed on the simple and obvious answer. "Of course!" It wasn't intended to be out loud but it was, just enough to be heard.

"Of course what, McGee?" Gibbs slid into his chair and looked at his agent expectantly.

"I…was," Now McGee's brain raced to give an answer to any problem but the one he was actually working. A file folder on his desk gave him a cue. "Just, um, going back over those financials for JAG on that fraud case last month." He gave a nod as he answered, knowing that it wasn't a lie, really. More like half a lie. He could only hope that he didn't sound as rattled as he felt. "I realized I'd overlooked a very simple answer for that complex bit of money trading. You see, the phantom accounts…" He prepared to launch into an explanation then trailed away, gratefully, as Gibbs waved him off. Exactly as he'd hoped.

"Fine, McGee. Whatever it is, send it on over to the lawyer in charge." Gibbs picked up the handset to his phone and proceeded to delete voicemails.

Tim masked his sigh of relief with a yawn and plotted an escape. He quietly dropped his half-full cup of coffee in the trash and palmed the thumb drive from his computer. "Anyone want coffee?" he asked, standing up. Three hands raised and waggled their own half-full cups back and forth in response. "Great, then I'll just go…" and he slipped away.

As he walked over to DC Beans he regretted the fib about the JAG case. Now he'd have to make that one thin lead he had actually pay off. Today. But his dilemma with Kate or Kelly or what's-her-clone – now that was actually all good. Just because he'd seen the mystery woman didn't mean that Tony and Abby or even Gibbs ever needed to. His only concern at seeing her alive - no, stop. His only thought at seeing _her_, he corrected mentally, was the reactions of the others. But there really was no reason to worry over it. They'd never met Mrs. Francis… Peg… so why on earth should there be a reason to meet… Kelly. He had to remember to think of her as Kelly.

Fresh coffee in hand he headed back, but found his feet taking him to Abby's lair rather than the bullpen. Maybe he did need someone to bounce this off of. Someone more analytical and less emotional… scratch that. Abby was going to be at least as emotionally involved in this as he was. Still…

"What McGee?" Abby didn't even look up from her workbench as he walked in.

"How'd you know it was me?" He leaned a hip against the table but far enough away that he wouldn't disturb her work.

"I know. I know all of you without turning around." At this she looked up at him. "What kind of forensic genius would I be if I couldn't recognize my three favorite guys by their footsteps?" She smiled and looked back down at the shattered pane of glass.

To McGee it looked like something from an office door, frosted glass with some kind of lettering. But whoever had smashed it did it up good. Abby had one heck of a jigsaw puzzle. "Need some help with that?" He gestured to the glass shards but Abby was already shaking her head.

"I'm good. I just want to finish flipping over pieces so I can photograph them for the system. It'll do the rest." She looked up at him again. "Did you actually need something, or are you just hiding out so you don't get stuck filing?"

McGee took a long pull from his coffee and looked away. Abby recognized the stall and just waited patiently. She knew a minute or two of silence and he'd be telling her everything. Finally, still not meeting her eyes, he said, "What would you do if you saw a dead woman? Not, you know, like a corpse dead woman or anything; that's normal. Well, not normal but normal for us. I mean a dead woman like someone you knew was dead. Only she was walking around perfectly normal and alive with a different name?" He slowly raised his eyes to hers.

"McGee," Abby said, in that slightly drawn out way of hers that made you feel like you should know you're an idiot without her having to tell you.

"Abbs, I'm not crazy. I saw her. I know it was her. Only it wasn't. Or at least she said she wasn't and then she looked me like I really was crazy. But I looked in her eyes. It was her. It had to have been, she.. they were exactly alike – I mean she was the same… I couldn't be that wrong, could I?" He finished with a helpless shrug letting Abby see just how unsettled this had made him.

Abby stared for a beat having no clue what he was on about and wondering where to start. "Okay… first things first, dead people don't walk around. People who've faked dead, yeah, not that we've ever run into those before," she said with a trace of sarcasm. "Or, you know, they say everyone has an exact twin somewhere in this world but," she frowned, "I haven't proven the math on that one yet. Anyway, why? Who did you see?"

"Kate." He wasn't sure he actually said the name loud enough for her to hear, but from the way she sank down on her lab stool, he must have.

"Kate." She said it a little more firmly. "You saw Kate. No," she corrected with a headshake. "You _think_ you saw Kate. You saw a girl who looked a lot like Kate and…" she trailed off as McGee shook his head.

"She didn't 'look a lot like Kate,' Abby. She looked _exactly _like Kate, from the way she stood to that look in her eyes she gets, got, when she's done dealing with you."

"But…"

"No, buts, Abbs. If real life were a TV show I'd say I just saw the same actress who played Kate standing in my neighbor's living room playing the role of the niece." He handed Abby the thumb drive where he'd stored everything he'd found since last night. "She's not Kate, Abby, I know that," he assured her seriously as he tapped his temple. "But if you meet her, you'll know she is." He rolled the cardboard cup in his hands. "Does that make any sense?"

"No. Well, yes, but… no. Yes." She turned to her computer and plugged in the drive, then looked back at McGee. "What did you tell Tony?"

"God! Nothing Abby. I couldn't do that to him. He won't say it out loud but we both know how hard he took Kate's death. And I'm not sure he ever really moved on. He didn't get the kind of closure with Kate that he had with Ziva," McGee just shrugged.

"He moved on, Tim. Or at least enough. He loved Ziva. They loved each other, but… I don't know." She looked at the picture now up on her screen. "Oh, holy shi….pwrecks." She cocked her head and stared before enhancing the picture. "That could be Kate taken on the day she died. It's positively eerie. Well, except for the lowlights in her hair, but an hour in the salon with the right foils…"

"Abbs," she looked over at him. "You're babbling. Which is about as good as I did, I guess. She was right in front of me and all I could do was stare. And whisper Kate's name."

Abby looked back at the screen then killed the image just before the doors whooshed open. "Yeah, I don't blame you," she told Tim. "Hey Tony, what's up? Hiding from filing, too?"

"Nope, Boss sent me to go find Mr. AWOL here," he jerked a thumb at McGee. "Don't blame him for what?"

Abby was fast and smooth with the answer, "Not wanting to help me out with my glass puzzle. Lots of very sharp little pieces," she said as she waved her hand toward the project.

Tony craned his neck. "I see your point." He gave them both a 'see what I did there' smile. "Let's go, McGruff. Gibbs has a petty theft by a petty officer that needs some not-so-petty documentation." Tony turned to leave and tossed over his shoulder, "Interrogation. You want the vic or the perp?"

Tim mouthed the words 'thank you' to Abby then turned and trailed Tony out the door.

Abby watched until she was sure they were gone then clicked the mouse to open the picture back up. "Who are you?" she whispered to the screen. "More to the point, why are you here?" She started clicking the various files on the drive as she hooked a foot around the leg of the stool and pulled it to her. Just as she settled in, skimming the articles, the phone rang. "Yeah, Sciuto," she said into the receiver, eyes never leaving the screen. Suddenly her head snapped up. "Yes, I'm just about done. Should have it to you in less than an hour." She hung up the phone and then looked over at her glass puzzle, then back to her computer as she reached for the mouse to lock the screen. "Work first, play later," she said, "but don't worry, I won't forget about you."

While she finished flipping pieces of glass around her mind churned on the puzzle. McGee didn't even tell her the woman's name. She hoped that information was in the files on the thumb drive. Knowing the computer was behind her with the information was like an itch between her shoulder blades. The forensic investigator in her was just dying to dig into the details, but she drew in deep breath and forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. "Once this is scanned in, then..." she threw a glance at the screen behind her, "you're all mine."


	4. A Bad Idea

Tony gathered his belongings to head home. Something had to break soon. Two quiet days in a row were scary – it usually meant something bad lurking around the corner. The petty theft interrogation was about as petty as the crime. He was pretty sure he hadn't yawned while he was in there, but it was a near thing. He glanced over at McGee who was just sitting back down at his desk and remembered his thought from yesterday about checking out the neighbor. Now that might relieve some of the boredom. "Hey McGee, you need any help investigating your neighbor's sketchy whatever person?"

McGee looked ready to jump out of his skin. "Uh, no, thanks Tony. I've got it. In fact I think maybe I just read the situation wrong."

"You sure?" Tony cocked his head. Something didn't seem right. "I don't mind."

"No, it's fine. Really." There was an undercurrent in the tone, something that said 'go away' but Tony wouldn't let it go.

"Hey, I know… why don't we go over and help Tim with his neighbor. I'm sure she has a handful of things that need doing now that the snow is disappearing." Tony's gaze took in Gibbs who had just walked up and Ellie who had her earbuds in, ignoring him.

"Tony that's really thoughtful of you, but…" McGee looked and sounded like he'd just swallowed a lemon as Gibbs cut him off mid-sentence.

"As long as there's no case, I don't care what you do. Just be available if you're needed here."

"You have to come too, Boss. It's like a family thing." Tony really didn't know where the idea had come from but somehow it just… felt right.

"Ah, no, Tony. Really. I'm sure Mrs. Francis has it all taken care of and she doesn't need us traipsing all over everything." To Tony's eye, Tim looked and sounded just a little bit off.

"Tell you what, today's Thursday. Why don't we take Friday evening and see what needs doing, then we can keep the traipsing on Saturday to a minimum. Fair enough? That will give you tonight to make sure Mrs. Francis is okay with some volunteer labor." Tony settled one hip on the filing cabinet next to McGee's desk and waited.

"Wait, what are we doing?" Ellie looked at the group confused. She'd obviously taken her earbuds out part way through the unfolding drama and was now playing catch up.

Gibbs just pointed at Tony who started to explain at the same time McGee started to decline the offer again.

Bishop held up a hand. "Okay, I get it. And it's actually a really sweet idea, Tony. I'll go with you tomorrow, Tim. I'd love to meet your neighbor. And her niece. Oh, and we'll have to remember to ask Abby to join us, too. She'd hate to feel left out."

McGee swallowed uncomfortably. "Ah, hm… yeah, okay, sure. Thanks," he added at the last possible second. Bishop responded with a nod and Tony grabbed his bag and headed toward the elevator.

"You're welcome, McGee," Tony tossed over his shoulder, not seeing the other man slump in his chair. However as he entered the elevator he caught a glimpse of McGee in a very unlike-McGee posture. Something was very clearly not right and it had to do with that neighbor. And Tony was determined to find out what.


	5. Confusion

McGee walked toward the lab, head down, reading from a file folder. He hoped it looked like just a routine visit to the lab and at the same time he knew he was being a bit paranoid. But Abby was right. Eerie was the only word for it. Well, okay, spooky, too. He hadn't thought to pull up Kate's file, but he was pretty sure he remembered all of her siblings. There was no chance that she had some misplaced twin out there. Was there? What were the odds that someone with no actual blood relationship to another person could look so damned much like her?

The doors whooshed shut behind him and Abby stood with her back to the computer, trying to look like she hadn't even had the machine on. He knew better.

"What's in the file? Anything that can help?" She stepped toward him then back when he shook his head.

"Just a distraction for getting out of the bullpen. You know, look like you're working, just like everyone else…"

"…and you become part of the background." She nodded as he tossed the folder on the lab desk next to them. "So, thanks to the research you did I think I filled in most of Mrs. Francis' story. Not so much her niece, though. But those really freaky coincidences are starting to pile up."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" McGee leaned his arms on the back of the lab stool while Abby woke the computer screen to show her work.

"You want the sad stuff or the freaky stuff first?" She glanced at him as he shrugged. "Okay, let's go with the sad stuff. I'm not sure exactly how Mrs. Francis… Can I just call her Peg, please?" McGee just made a rolling motion with his hand for her to continue. "So, I'm not sure how Peg wound up here, but I do know why she left where she was. It was a small aircraft crash only a not so small incident."

She went on to relate how Peg's father had worked at the small airport in the next town over from where they lived in rural northern Pennsylvania. "Airfield, really, at that time. Today it only handles up to medium sized private jets." Abby went on to relate a story of ground control miscommunication, poor visibility and a crash taking out a number of ground crew as well as all those on board the aircraft and wreckage landing dangerously near a school. "Her father was blamed for the whole mess and it's not really very clear if it was actually his fault or not, or ever whether or not it was human error or some type of equipment failure somewhere. Those details were very sparse. The death toll wasn't high by today's standards or even a normal airline disaster at the time, but there were enough people who lost someone in the crash and believed Francis was at best criminally negligent. Of course the next day as investigation began into what happened, it seemed there were broken water pipes where the flight recordings from the control tower were kept. Less than a full day after it happened, destroying, of course, the tapes that were most critical to the incident and investigation. Then three days later a fire 'mysteriously' started at the Franics home. Fire response was slow, possibly deliberately so. And in the end it was ruled a kitchen fire. Accidental, but there were whispers, that it was just as 'accidental' as the crash and "God's" retribution for what had happened. Peg and her younger sister were the only survivors. Allison, her sister, was badly burned; one reference said disfiguring. Peg's burns were not quite so bad." Abby scrolled through the news articles that she'd found while providing the summary. "Here's where it starts to get a bit freaky weird though. Neither Peg nor Allison could stay there, the accusations about their father and their own disaster, the snide comments and cruel treatment, made it clear they needed to get away. They stuck together for a while but tried to move far enough away to escape the gossip and both girls eventually married with Peg going off to Pittsburgh. Allison and her husband made their home in Stillwater." Abby paused for the first time in her narrative to look at McGee.

"Stillwater…? Isn't that Gibbs…?"

Abby finished the question, "Hometown. Why yes it is." She nodded and glanced back at the screen. "Now I'm not sure about the timing, but if I have it right Allison and her family moved there just after Gibbs enlisted. Their house was on the edge of town, I'm guessing because Allison was still very sensitive to gossip and her burns were enough to cause comment." She scrolled to a picture she'd found of Allison. A newspaper clipping, in color, that had Allison's face averted from the camera directly but contained enough detail to see the scars along her neck. The long-sleeved shirt she wore prevented seeing if the burns went all the way down her arms and her hands were out of sight. But Tim felt sure that the burns were extensive and he felt bad for the woman at the same time as he noted that her hair was a pretty auburn.

"She was a recluse, mostly. She'd married young and let her husband handle everything for her, including dealing with the schools for her two children."

"Two children? I wasn't aware that Kate, Kelly… Mrs. Francis' niece, had a sibling." Tim shook his head, trying to take in the story.

"His name was David and he was named for his father. Both Allison and son David were killed in a car crash. They were on their way to pick up Kelly from an afterschool event – it was late November, dark already and raining heavily. Her husband was stuck at work dealing with some emergency there and Allison decided that in the dark she could brave the school enough to pick up her daughter. Actually Gibbs' father would probably remember the whole thing."

"Oh my God, Abby this sounds like a soap opera! And I can't imagine Gibbs' dad knowing all this and not telling Gibbs." He had settled on a stool next to her as she'd gone through the story. "How did you find all this?"

"McGee, please. I am good at what I do. As for not telling Gibbs, my guess is all this happened between the time Gibbs left and when he came back for Shannon. It would have been a footnote in the news by then. It certainly wouldn't have been an unusually odd occurrence – a car crash on a dark rainy night. And Kelly, Allison and David are all common enough names. Why would Jackson have even thought to mention it? Especially since they were barely on speaking terms. Now," she turned back to the screen and scrolled through until she found a picture of Kelly. "Here's Kelly at her college graduation. She went on to med school, citing the loss of her family to accidents as her reason for wanting to be a doctor." Abby had paraphrased the comments beneath the picture as she put a second picture up on the split screen. "Her dad also died in an accident just before her high-school graduation."

Questions that had been crowding Tim's mind during the story vanished as he looked at the screen. "Is that Kate…?"

"At her college graduation. The same school. They were a few years apart, Kelly is a bit younger and didn't overlap any years with Kate, but it's like looking at the same woman. Big school," she forestalled the next comment from Tim, "from what I could find, they would never have run into each other even if they had graduated the same year. Different majors, different activities, with thousands of people on campus…" she shrugged as he stared at the screen, still stunned by the images until a quick flick of her fingers on the mouse turned the screen blank.

"Hey Gibbs," she said, without even turning around as the doors whooshed open..

"Hey Abbs. McGee…. What are the two of you up to?"

Tim looked ready to speak and Abby gently stepped on his foot as she answered the question. "Oh just a little research. Tracing the family tree of some scary person for one of Dave Owens' guys." She smiled and said nothing else.

"How is Dave? Haven't seen him for a while?" Gibbs mused as he set down the Caf-Pow cup.

"Good, he's working out of one of the North Carolina field offices these days. What can I do for you?"

He nodded to her computer, "Sent you a file, JAG's working this case and McGee, I guess, has the financials but there's something else squirrely going on in some code they unearthed." The look Gibbs flicked toward McGee said he was suspicious about the earlier assertion of progress and McGee slapped his forehead mentally as he remembered the fib and lack of subsequent results.

"Say no more, Bossman, I am on the case. Abby's pest removal service will detect and quarantine all squirrels, bugs and other computer baddies." Abby picked up her Caf-Pow and turned to her screen as Gibbs kissed her lightly on the temple and gave McGee a look that was just short of suspicious before heading out. At the door he paused and threw over his shoulder, "By the way, McGee, Bishop is waiting for you. She wants to meet your neighbor."

McGee groaned after the doors slid shut behind Gibbs and answered Abby's unspoken question. Explaining Tony's "brainstorm" and the rest of the morning's conversation he finished with, "Abbs, what am I going to do?"

"Well, Ellie never met Kate, and Kelly probably won't be there, so why don't you take her, let her meet Mrs. Francis and then explain the whole thing to her after. She might actually be willing to help you avoid this mess." Abby restored the screen with their research and carefully saved it before opening the file from Gibbs.

"Ya think?" McGee tilted his head slightly and thought. Maybe Abbs was right, after all Ellie really didn't know the players in the whole mess. If he explained it to her, she might just wind up the best ally he had in this.

"Yes, now go. I have work to do and so do you. I'll send a copy of what I found to your home email." She turned her head to look at McGee as he headed for the door. "Thanks McGee for trusting me. Let me know what happens with Bishop." She gave a small almost sad smile and then went back to work.


	6. A Bad Result

Ellie stood waiting as the elevator doors opened. "Good! I was just wondering if I'd missed you."

McGee stepped around her and moved to his desk to grab his belongings. "I though we were doing this tomorrow night." He made it a statement not a question, whether Bishop caught it or not he didn't know.

"Oh, I thought I'd just follow you home tonight and get a chance to meet her briefly. Maybe gauge how she feels about our help. You seemed to think it wasn't necessary, but perhaps if a woman suggested it she might respond differently. Besides, I've never seen your apartment McGee. Kinda curious about the neighborhood and all."

Simply by the timbre of her voice, Ellie could make anything sound simple and innocent. He wondered if it was just that or if DiNozzo had put her up to the sleuthing mission. "Sure, fine, Bishop. Let's go meet my neighbor." McGee shouldered his backpack and added a belated, "Thanks."

Ellie parked behind Tim in his driveway and then followed him across the small strip of grass to his neighbor's. The area seemed to be larger but older homes, some lovingly maintained as single family residences, some carefully divided in to duplexes or condo sized units, judging by the mailboxes she could see in the fading daylight. It was quiet, the mature landscaping giving the neighborhood an old-timey feel and she understood why people would want to live here.

She noted there was no car in Mrs. Francis' driveway as well as Tim's frown as he glanced from the empty pavement up toward the house. He stepped up to the door and hesitated before reaching out and twisting the knob. As it turned Tim shook his head and used his other hand to knock on the door while easing it open just enough to call out.

"Mrs. Francis, it's Tim. Everything okay?" He waited for an answer, which Bishop heard, but only as unintelligible sound. "Are you alone? Can I help you?" Again there was a response, and this time Tim pushed the door open far enough for them to enter. "I have one of my colleagues with me, Mrs. Francis, if that's okay," and Ellie saw an older slightly frail looking woman in a wheelchair make her way awkwardly into the room from what might hav been the kitchen.

Tim stepped quickly to her side and moved her to what was clearly "her spot" in the living room before motioning Ellie forward. "Mrs. Francis, this is Ellie Bishop, she works with me at NCIS." Before Tim could say more Ellie stepped right into the conversation.

"Mrs. Francis, it's lovely to meet you. Tim mentioned your accident and we all wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why thank you dear, a pleasure to meet you. But why? I mean why should you worry about someone you've never even met?" Peg was gracious but clearly surprised and uncertain as to why this stranger would volunteer to help her. Tim, now knowing her background, suddenly understood her neighbor's reluctance to accept help from strangers.

"I had an elderly aunt who broke her hip, slipped on the step outside her home getting the mail." Ellie began to explain as she settled on the sofa next to the injured woman. "I remember how much help she needed and how much pain she was in even with the little things she could do for herself. She was one of those very strong and independent woman, determined to continue handling everything for her friends and family as if nothing had happened." She watched Peg's eyes as she spoke. "She hated to ask for help, sometimes wouldn't, despite the doctor telling her she had to take it easy. I was a teenager at the time and not truly able to appreciate just how hard it was for her. She said to me one afternoon as I was helping with her laundry, 'I know I need help but it's humiliating to have to ask for it all the time. There's a certain amount of relief in having someone just take over at times.' It was many years before I really understood what she meant," Ellie paused as Peg nodded. "Tim doesn't talk of you often, but when he does with it's with respect and affection. So we'd like to help Tim with someone he cares about. Will you let us?"

Tim stood by nearly open-mouthed. He was sure he'd have been able to deflect the offer of help and keep Tony and Gibbs away from all this yet Bishop had neatly side-stepped him and started to bond with his neighbor on top of it. He was desperately trying to think of a way to extricate them before this could go any further when he heard the front door open. Both women looked up to see Kelly walk in and stop dead.

"Aunt Peg," she said after a long moment of silence. "and the Fed next-door." Her eyes were on Bishop and it was Mrs. Francis who spoke first.

"Kelly, honey, come sit down over here. This is Ellie, she works with Tim and they'd like to help." She drew breath to continue but Kelly was faster.

"Why? Why would they want to help some stranger?" Tim wasn't at all surprised that Kelly echoed the older woman's original question and now knowing more of the family history it made perfect sense that this would be their first thought.

Ellie's quick reply, "Because it's the right thing to do, don't you think?" left Tim feeling trapped. He needed to get her out of here now and explain this mess. If he'd had any idea how quickly she would succeed at having the offer of assistance accepted he'd never have let her in the door.

"Uh, Bishop, we should go." The look she directed at him was puzzled, he tried to counter with one that said 'shut up and follow my lead'. "There was that evidence we needed to go over anyway, we need to get on that. Mrs. Francis, K…Kelly," he stuttered, sparing a glance in each direction, "thank you but we really do have to leave now. If you'd like we can talk tomorrow evening about some things that we might be able to take care of over the weekend. Have a lovely evening," he finished as he stepped past Bishop to the door and waited for her to catch up."

Ellie smiled and murmured a polite goodbye while giving Kelly an odd look as if she should have know who the newcomer was, and followed Tim out the door. They were still on the porch, the door barely closed behind them when she turned to Tim. "What the heck…."

He silenced her quickly and very nearly dragged her across to his door. "I'll explain," was all he said until they were in his apartment. There he told her the whole story, leaving nothing out.

Ellie knew, of course, who Kate was and as soon as Tim said her name she knew immediately that was why she recognized the young woman next door. She didn't know, however, about the personal side of Tony's relationship with Kate. Not, apparently, that there was much of one, and though he never acknowledged it, the rest of the team seemed to know that her death hurt him more deeply than he showed. As Tim finished she shook her head slowly and said, "Okay, I see how it's a tricky situation but I think you're overthinking this. It's just one big, albeit really freaky coincidence, not a problem."

"Rule 39, Bishop. Even if it really is a coincidence, Gibbs and Tony will never see it that way. Think about it. We have a woman who went to the same school as Kate bears the name of Gibbs late daughter and who grew up in his hometown and who just happens to be a dead ringer," he waved away her raised eyebrow over the choice of words, "for Kate who was killed standing right next to Tony and Gibbs. Keep in mind that Gibbs also lost his second wife in the exact same manner thanks to Mishnev, so no, nothing to really bring home that pain and Tony, who might have been half in love with Kate after that whole plague thing, though he'd never admit it, and now has a goldfish he named for her." He took a breath and then sighed. "Yeah, really, that's all just got to be some strange set of circumstances that really don't mean anything. I'm sure they'll ignore them."

Bishop was frowning. "He named a goldfish after her?"

"Bishop, focus! Even if this girl is just some total stranger who wound up with a crazy stroke of the most freakish set of coincidences do you really think either one of them is going to let it go? Really?"

Ellie sighed as well. "No, probably not. But now what do we do? From what I saw today, Tony seems to be really fascinated by your neighbor. And your reaction to her. He didn't seem to be inclined to let this go. While Gibbs was in MTAC earlier and you were in the lab he was making lists of things that we could do for Mrs. Francis. It was kind of odd, actually."

"Odd how,"

"Well, it seemed like he was making a list of things to help, but it kinda seemed like it was a way, to help but also, well… snoop, you know?"

Tim groaned and hit his head against a shelf. "Of course he would. Tony can't let anything go – he's almost like Gibbs. A dog with a bone. Pray for a case, Bishop. Pray for a case, because short of that or us going out and committing murder to create one DiNozzo will not let this go."

All day Friday Tim tried desperately to think of a way to derail Tony's plans. He prayed for a case – any case – anything to keep them busy all weekend. He tried to think of every wild goose chase he could send Tony on, but couldn't find one that would do anything but make him more determined. By quitting time Tony looked eager to go and McGee was ready to shoot him, just to keep him away. He nearly cried with relief when Vance wanted to talk to Tony about something. Gibbs, thankfully, hadn't looked all that interested in tagging along and McGee was not about to do or say anything that might arouse _his_ interest.

Abby met Ellie and Tim as they were about to leave the building. "I wouldn't miss this for anything," she said quietly as they stepped outside, mindful of anyone who might overhear. "I knew Kate as well as Gibbs and Tony did. I have to see this for myself."

"You know," Ellie said, slowly, "This is weird, but this somehow this is connected to me in a way." Abby and Tim stopped to look at her as they reached their cars. "That was a true story I told her last night. I did have an aunt who broke her hip – who needed help, Just like Kelly." She shook her head. "You're right Tim," she said as she climbed into her car, the coincidences are too freaky weird to be just coincidences."

Abby looked at Tim who just shook his head and got in his own car. "You'll see," he said as he shut the door, leaving Abby to follow them to Tim's.


	7. From Bad to Worse

Kelly sat in a wicker rocking chair on the deck out back of her aunt's house, bundled in an old blanket coat. Aunt Peg was resting, she had shooed Kelly out saying she didn't want to be fussed over, just for a little while. So, here she sat, late afternoon, almost early evening on a very early spring day. The air was chilly but felt green and damp, making her think of all the fresh things that spring brings. She pulled an old quilt over her legs and her mind drifted to what had brought her here. Not that she didn't visit her aunt – she did. Just not all that often. It was funny; she thought her visits were sort of regular, but apparently her perception of time and her aunt's were very different. Aunt Peg had said this was the most she'd seen Kelly in a couple of years. Being a doctor had kept her busy, busier than she realized. Her private practice had slowed her down some but not much. She realized as the sky darkened and she shivered a little in the cold air, that as serious as her aunt's injury was, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. A chance to slow down a little and appreciate her family – at least all she had left of it. She let out a long sigh and as she stood to go inside she saw the lights of a car next door. It had to be the neighbor home from work. She wasn't sure she was up to seeing him and yet somehow she knew she would. There was something strange about him, about the way he looked at her. As if he knew her, or she should know him, as if her being here was wrong, or maybe worse. As if her being here was somehow important to him. She shook her head and closed the door behind her, hanging her coat on a hook by the door and then went to check on Aunt Peg.

Tim was as closer to terror than he'd been since he was a kid facing his father's obvious disapproval. He had no idea how this was going to play, bringing two co-workers with him. He walked up to Mrs. Francis' door with Ellie and Abby trailing behind him wondering what in the hell he was going to say. This time, seeing Kelly's car in the driveway, he knocked and waited for an answer.

Kelly opened the door and looked at the three of them with suspicion and a bit of disdain. The daylight was nearly gone and the porch light not terribly bright either, but Tim swore he saw Abby pale - even paler than her normal skin tone. He broke the awkward silence by introducing Abby, who in her usual Abby-style took the conversation by storm.

"Hi, Kelly, so nice to meet you. Tim's been so worried about his neighbor and wanting to help out. She glanced around the slice of living room she could see from the door. "Was your aunt able to find what she needed for the dog sweater? I found her some patterns but I didn't think to ask if she needed wool or anything?"

Kelly, for her part, was take aback enough that she opened the door wider - probably to get a better look at the crazy goth chick on the doorstep, but trust Abby to take the opening and make the other woman think it was her idea.

"So Tim told us the Mrs. Francis said you were fostering a dog? What kind? I love dogs. Well, I love all animals, really, but there's just something about a dog. They'll just love you no matter what's going on in your life. They don't ask questions, they're just there for you." At this, Abby stopped to take a breath and she was already inside the door - only just, but still.

"I'm sorry… Who are you, exactly?" She glanced at Tim and Ellie, clearly confused and not wanting to take her eyes off the strange woman now in her aunt's house. Tim - and Abby - were saved from having to answer by Margaret's ungainly maneuvering of her wheelchair into the room.

"Aunt Peg! I told you to call me for help. You're not doing yourself any favors by straining like that!"

Margaret ignored her niece's scolding and called out, "Tim, dear, is that you? And this must be another of your lovely co-workers. Please come in, all of you."

"Aunt Peg!" Kelly was aghast. Why on earth was her aunt allowing all these strangers to invade her home?

"Mrs. Francis, hi, I'm Abby. I helped Tim with the knitting patterns, but I didn't think to ask if you needed wool or anything." She glanced the woman in the wheelchair. "My gosh, you must be so uncomfortable. I know when Sister Rosario sprained her ankle and had to have it up for a few days, she was just miserable, even though she never said a word. Well, you know, a nun and all with the patience of a saint. And besides, she sprained it bowling, not doing her nun work…" Abby trailed off and McGee and Ellie, now just inside the door, exchanged glances.

"Um, what the hell?" Kelly looked at McGee who shrugged and said the first thing that came to mind.

"She bowls with nuns."

"She…bowls…with nuns…" The words were repeated slowly, as if that would help. Then Kelly shook her head and rolled her eyes and Tim had to swallow hard as the resemblance to Kate overwhelmed him.

Ellie stepped into the silence before it could get and weirder. "You know, Abby is just such a giving soul. And your aunt was kind enough to bake brownies for Tim to bring us a few times, so in her mind," she nodded toward Abby, now engrossed in the knitting patterns with Peg, "this is only right to, you know, help out in return."

Kelly answered with a 'you people are strange' look that made Tim look away. The deeper he got in with this, the more it sort of hurt to look at her. It was like having a scar torn open, damaging the tissue you'd thought had healed just fine. Instead he focused on Abby.

"Abbs, slow down." Before he could continue, Abby shot him a look and spoke, quickly but deliberately.

"It's fine. Mrs. Francis was just showing me which of the patterns she'd decided on for Bruce's sweater. I said I'd pick up some yarn for her and bring it tomorrow."

"Bruce?" Tim was almost out of his depth. Abby had so neatly sidestepped everything he'd thought he'd say. Just as Ellie had done the night before.

"Kelly's foster dog. Really, Tim, keep up!" She turned back to Peg who, oddly enough, seemed quite enchanted with Abby. "Now, Mrs. Francis, it's kind of dark out, but I did notice that you have some branches down outside and you could probably use some help cleaning up from that storm last week. It didn't look as if you had any trees down, unlike my neighbor, but you should have that cleaned up, you know, for safety's sake. We can help you out with that tomorrow, if that's all right with you."

Tim leaned against the doorframe, as Ellie chatted with Kelly, about what he had no idea, while listening to Abby derail his plans to derail this whole damn excursion

"Oh, thank you dear, that is so sweet of you to help. And you must call me Peg. Kelly dear," Margaret said, "We should invite them to have dinner with us.

Oh hell no! "Thank you so much Mrs. Francis… Peg…K…elly." He nodded towards Kate's doppelgänger without actually making eye contact and only a slight hesitation with the name. "We, uh, have plans for tonight, but Abby insisted we stop by and make sure we weren't intruding by offering to help." At this he gave his best non-glare glare to Abby, trying not to be angry and dismayed at what she'd done.

"Oh, no, dear. It's so sweet of you to want to help. It's been a long time since I've had such a truly gracious neighbor."

Kelly, starting to speak at the same time just sighed as her attempt to no doubt send them away dissolved with her aunt's words. "Sure," she said, unenthusiastically, "Why not?"

Abby stood and smiled, "We'll leave you to your dinner, then. See you tomorrow with a couple more in tow to help with the heavier work." She looked so pleased with the conversation that Tim wondered if he hadn't been clear enough with her.

As the door closed behind him he looked at Abby as if she had gone crazy. "You do remember you were supposed to nix this whole thing, right?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, McGee. Peg just seemed like such a nice lady and after everything she's been through, well, I just couldn't help myself."

Ellie nodded as they crossed the driveway and headed toward Tim's apartment together, some unspoken agreement that this needed further discussion.

"Great - so now what do we do?" They sat down in McGees living room.

"Order Chinese." Abby's statement received blank stares from the other two. "What? It's dinnertime and I'm hungry. And we need to figure out just how to deal with Gibbs and Tony tomorrow."

"Can't we just, oh, I don't know, shoot them or something?"

"McGee!"

"Well, not fatally, of course. Just enough to keep them away until Kate, damn it, Kelly goes home."

Abby softened her voice. "I saw you in there. You could hardly look at her. It hurt, didn't it? It was all I could do not to stare. And cry."

"Abbs, this is killing me. We can't let them see her tomorrow."

"I'm not sure we should. Stop it, that is. Maybe this is some sort of weird chance to say the goodbyes we didn't have."

McGee just stared out the window toward the house next door that wasn't quite visible. "I just don't know, Abbs."

Ellie looked at the two of them, clearly still grappling with the sight of a dead woman, and pulled out her phone. "So, then. Lo mien okay for you guys?"


	8. Confrontation

Kelly disconnected the call angrily, wishing that the phone had a handset she could slam down. It wouldn't solve anything, but she thought it might make her feel better.

"Kelly, honey?" Aunt Peg said softly.

"It's nothing. Okay," she said at Peg's skeptical look, "it's not nothing. But it's nothing I can do anything about right now." She sighed. "Why is all this crap happening right now. What did I do to deserve this?" Kelly turned and flopped in the chair next to her aunt in disgust, or maybe just resignation.

Neither one noticed that Tony had come into the room. He watched Kate... Kelly... silently. It was as if she were still here. Her eyes, her voice, everything. Somehow he couldn't walk away.

And that was how McGee found them, just as Kelly looked up and her aunt began to speak.

"Kelly, honey, everything happens for a reason."

"...a reason," she finished with her aunt. She turned to look at the older woman. "Yeah, yeah, I _know_. But, seriously?"

"Sometimes the universe is talking. And sometimes it's talking, just not to you."

"Excuse me?" McGee wasn't sure if Kelly's response was directed toward her aunt or to Tony and himself, standing there, very out of place in the conversation.

"Sorry, sorry," McGee said, breaking the tense moment. "I was just looking for DiNozzo."

.

"Oh, yeah. And I was looking for the bathroom." Tony spoke to no one, just looked uncomfortable with everyone staring at him.

"Down the hallway on the left," Kelly said absently and looked back at her aunt. "What do you mean the universe isn't talking to me? If all this shit is happening, today of all damn days, then just who in the hell is...?" She threw up her hands in disgust and her aunt glanced at McGee.

"What?" She didn't shout, but she sounded exactly like Kate, fed-up Kate, Kate after Tony had taken his one of his pranks just a bit too far. McGee didn't miss the stutter in Tony's step as he walked toward the back of the house. He'd heard it too.

Kelly dismissed Tony with a look and turned her attention to McGee. "Well?"

McGee had no idea what he was supposed to say. Something about the universe talking to her? He shrugged, wordlessly. "I, uh, didn't mean to interrupt. Sorry Kate - Kelly". It just slipped out. He'd tried so hard not to use her name - any name, but his apology to her tone of voice was automatic.

"That's it," she said, sounding every bit of pissed-off Kate. "Who in the _hell_ is Kate, for Christ's sake?"

"Someone we used to work with. I think I mentioned that when we met. You look and sound just like her. _Exactly_ like her," he emphasized the word. "It's kinda eerie," McGee added in a quieter voice.

"Eerie. Uh-huh. Sure. And where is this Kate now?" Kelly's voice was lace with irritation at having been called by another woman's name yet again.

McGee was glad Tony was out of earshot. Or, well, he hoped Tony was out of earshot. "She…um. Well, she…" McGee took a breath and tried again. "She was killed in the line of duty." It came out softly and he realized how seldom he'd uttered those words. In fact, none of them ever just said she was... dead. She was gone, she wasn't here, they talked about her like she was away - not... dead. He turned to walk away, not able to look at her anymore. Not now. He didn't see her pale, didn't see the look she shared with her aunt. He only saw the door he walked toward just as he closed the door on his grief. "Tell Tony to grab another trash bag on his way out." He didn't even turn his head as he spoke, just closed the door behind him as he left.

Kelly looked helplessly at Aunt Peg. She seen the pain is Tim's eyes, just a flash, before he turned and walked away. She wondered how long ago it had been and how close they'd been. He certainly seemed to still be grieving for her.

"Maybe the universe is talking to them," Peg said, also quietly, not daring to break the fragile atmosphere.

"Seems like they don't want to hear it."


	9. Conclusion

Kelly was sitting on the back porch, wrapped up in her favorite quilt on the wicker rocking chair, just as she'd been yesterday. Only this time her thoughts weren't about her life, they were about Kate. She knew nothing about this woman - this… dead… woman, that she supposedly so very much embodied. She'd seen the way those two had looked at her. Now she understood, it was as if they were looking at a ghost. And that older guy, Gibbs. He flinched when he heard her name. Why… how on earth… did she end up here? The anniversary of her dad's death and then one lousy phone call after another. The PA from her office to tell her Mr. Thompkins, who she'd come to think of almost as a surrogate father passed this morning, unexpectedly, underlining the painful anniversary.. Kyle, her on-again-off again boyfriend, off for good this time, dumping her by phone by announcing his engagement to some… she censored her thought on that one and dealt with the next blow… the volunteer at the shelter letting her know that Bruce's owners had recognized him from the photo on the shelter's Facebook page. They were beyond happy to have found him and were taking him home. Taking him away from her as well. And now this. Taking away her sense of self. Walking around in a dead woman's skin tearing open other people's wounds. For a moment she doubted she was the same woman who crawled out of bed this morning. She looked up as Tim headed toward her, still averting his eyes.

"Look, uh, Kelly," it was clear he had to work at not calling her Kate, "I'm so sorry for this."

"You're sorry?"

"Yeah. You didn't need to have all of us staring at you like some sort of…"

"Ghost?"

"Well, I was going to say 'freak' but ghost is more accurate." He finally lifted his eyes and looks in hers. Kate's. He couldn't help it. "I loved her, you know. Not like Tony does. Not that he'll ever admit it. But I could have, if she and Tony hadn't been so obviously perfect for one another. Not that either of them would ever have admitted it." He sank down on one of the porch steps and stared out at the yard, his back mostly to her. "I never got to tell her how much she meant to me. I mean, her funeral and all, but that's not really the closure you think it is. Not the kind you want." He stopped for a moment and thankfully she said nothing. "It's sort of like having someone tear out a strip of your heart and just leave you alive, bleeding inside and wishing you weren't" He didn't elaborate and she stayed silent for a moment wondering if he meant the woman's death or her seeming reappearance in his life.

Finally she spoke. Softly, almost too softly to be heard. "Yeah. I get it."

After another couple of moments he got up and walked away without looking at her. Somehow she felt as if he'd been crying, at least on the inside. She let him go without saying anything else. There didn't seem to be anything else to say.

"We all loved her. And none of us told her."

Kelly's head whipped around to see Gibbs standing, leaning actually, against the porch rail. His approach was silent, as if he was used to appearing, and perhaps disappearing, without notice.

"I lost my wife and daughter." He said it matter-of-factly, as if he were telling you it would rain tomorrow. "You have her name. Kelly, my daughter. And you look so very much like Kate. Two people I couldn't save. Two, out of many. Two out of many I'd put in harm's way without even realizing it at the time." He, too, like Tim had, fell silent. And like Tim, she stayed just as silent. Finally he pushed off the porch rail and looked at her. "I'm not sure why you're here or maybe why I'm here. Maybe just to remind me I'm alive, but you know, sometimes I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But thank you for giving me a glimpse of who she could have been."

He walked away without another word and this time she was left to wonder if he'd meant his daughter or his agent.

It was a few hours later, as the last of the bags of trash had been sealed and the downed wood that was worth keeping had been stacked when Tony finally spoke. She'd sort of expected it sooner, and then felt an odd mixture of relief and sorrow when it seemed he had nothing to say to her after that first stunned 'Kate' he whispered when he was introduced.

Now, as he stood with his back to her, she had to wonder if he even knew she was behind him as he spoke.

"I love her. I know the others have said as much, but… I love her. I never told her. Never really… well, maybe I hinted at it. Same way she never really… maybe hinted it to me too. But I love her, same way I know she loves me."

Kelly wondered if he knew he spoke of Kate in the present tense. She really couldn't decide if it was an unconscious choice or not. He finally turned and looked her in they eye.

"I know you're not her. It's subtle, tiny things - you are so very much like her, but you're not. And I have to say this anyway. I love you, Kate. I just wish I'd said it sooner." And with that he turned away, walked to his car, got in and drove off, never looking back.

Kelly stared after him, watching the taillights disappear around the corner. She was so overcome with the intensity in his eyes and his voice that she never even noticed when Abby walked up. She jumped slightly when the other woman spoke.

"Thank you."

Kelly waited for more, but it didn't come. Finally she asked, "For what?"

"For being you. For being here. For giving us all a chance to say goodbye to a woman you never knew. A woman you are so very like that it's absolutely uncanny. For finally giving him a a chance to say the words he's never forgiven himself for not saying. Tony was right. You're not her. You have to look very hard to see the differences, but you're not her and she's not you. But I believe she was here today. And I think she let them… us… see her today through you. So, that's why. Thank you" Abby touched Kelly briefly on her shoulder, either in parting or to assure herself that she spoke to a living person and not a ghost. Neither of them seemed sure which.

Gibbs had disappeared as silently as he had earlier and she noticed his car, too, had gone. She watched Abby climb into her car before turning away and heading inside.

She saw Tim and Ellie sitting with Aunt Peg as the older woman gushed her gratitude. It was as if all the pent up years of being disappointed by people had broken like a dam. They finally said their goodbyes to her, stood and walked past her, Tim first, just a nod as he passed. Then Ellie.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, truly. Although I think you're probably happy enough to see us go."

"It's been… interesting. To say the least. Thank you, all of you," she said to Tim's back as he walked down the front steps." She wanted to say more, but there simply weren't words for what she was feeling. Gratitude, certainly, but an unsettling one.

Ellie smiled and followed Tim out the door a Kelly turned away, feeling like she was stepping out of another person, pulled back to her own reality. Yes, very unsettling.

—-

Tony drove home on autopilot, in silence. His mind wasn't really on any one thing in particular, he just let his thoughts drift aimlessly. To Kate, to Ziva, to Zoe… back to Ziva, then back to Kate. "You, know, none of us, not even you, believe in coincidences. I don't know how you did it, but you gave me that one last day. You gave all of us…" he trailed off, not really realizing he spoken aloud. "Bye, Kate. I love you."


End file.
